History Of Photography

Who invented the Calotype and how did it worked?

Ans. William Henry Fox Talbot born 11 Feb. 1800, a british scientist, inventor and the pioneer of photography. He started the "Light-Fast an permanent photogragh".The term Calotype come from the German word which means "beautiful impressions", that was what he must have thought of his first image. In 1835 he created his first camera image using sensitized paper silver chloride. This darkened in propotion to exposure to light.

Who invented the Daguerreotype and how did it worked?

Ans. Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre born Nov. 18. 1787 in a region of France called Cormeilless, was a painter and physicist. He invented the first processing of photography; back then he called it Daguerreotype. (Might I add, there was other edition of processing before his, but he was the first to perfect this method of processing).

After years of research he dicoverd that when he expose the iodized paper in a camera for long periods, he would get a permament image.

What was the difference between the two?

Ans. Calotype uses a drawing paper and added a type of chemical called 'Silver Cloride' to create picture. On the other hand, With Dagurreotype, chemical is also used but also the image was placed on a mirrored surface that has a silver type coatings of "Silver halide coating" particles with vapours of Iodine.

How did photography changed the world?

Ans. Photography has changed the world immensely, photographs provides evidence and it has been used to gather information for documentation. From it's early beginings to it's present stage, photo and photography has changed to what even the early pioneers wouldn't believe themselves.

What did people believe photograph was for in the early 1840-1880?

Ans. People had different perception about photography, but I think the general view was that photograph could be used to preserve life in a sense. One of the common trend in that era was for people to photograph the dead. This was done by getting the dead person to look life-like; by placing the subject in a standing pose (using objects to holding the corpse). This was done righjt after the person had died. Photograph was a more of a class thing as only the middle and upper class could have their photograph taken or own a camera.

Pictorialist vs Naturalism

What was the Pictorialist Movement?

Ans. Pictorialist approaches photograph from a different angle than just focussing on the reality of it. A Pictorialist place more emphasis on the subject matter, tonality and composition. This movement was born in the early 20th centry in a time when photograph was just introduced to the world.

Find a photograph from this period and talk about one of their photograph.

This a the work of a Naturalist photographer, there work are base around everyday life scene. There works are not staged, the venture out either looking for a particular subject or the situations just arised. This image for me is describing two different class of people, the one who is paddling the boat is more up on the social ladder than the other person. This is obvious by their clothes. The photographer who took this image matbe was highlighting the difference in the class structure.

Caroline Hoskine Gurrey (1827-1927)

Was one of the early pioneer of modern photography and was also a Pictorialist.

1.a) What was Jacob Riis profession?

Ans. Jacob Riis was among other thing a photographer.

b)Why did Jacob Riis took the pictures he did?

Ans. He used his knowledge as photographer to help the under privilege of New York.

c) Who was the audience for them?

Ans. Jacob Riis had one could say targetted the well to do of the then society.

d) Were they staged?

Ans. This could be a tricky one, as some of the people in the images could have been placed there at the time, but the situation around them were real.

e)If they were staged, do you think that they had a right to do that in good caused?

Ans. He needed was to hightlight a certain situation which at the time weren't available. So to create the scene he might have to staged it which for me is quite ok.

One might would've ask how is picture could've helped this man, the reason why we might not understand is that we could be looking at it from a modern perpective. To think that Jacob Riis set out to exploit these poor underprivileged could not be wrong, as one would think but this was far from his mind. Was this a staged picture? Well not entirely at least for me, what I can imagine is that he was passing by and this gentleman was there contemplating what the future holds. For me this situation presented itself, the guy was there and he ask hiom for his picture and he might have explained to him what's it for.

2.

a) What was Lewis Hines profession?

Ans. Lewis Hines was Sociologist and a photographer.

b) Why did Lewis Hines take the photos he did?

Ans. He wanted to highlight the unfair treatment that country's children were undergoing at the time.

c) Were they staged?

Ans. Without a doubt, but like other photographer at the time, he too was highlighting the squalid conditions that the poorer class had to live in.

d)Who was the audience for them?

Ans. He had a more liberal audience, one reason for this is that they are the ones who were benefitting from "child labour".

e)If they were staged, do you think that he had the right to do that even for a good cause?

Ans. He needed to hightlight the plight of the children so to staged them and get a possitive result is ok for me.

Scenes like these wolud have been normal for kids that era, there weren't no laws of such to govern the welfare of these underprivilage children. Child labour was a norm, the families needs would have top priority over education. I supposed Lewis Hines was looking into the future and see the need to fix this problem. If these situations weren't dealt with then greater problem could arised from these kids: such as gang violence, child prostitution among other things. The photographer recognised that these kids would serve better in some type of educational institution. This is staged as far as putting them to posed for the shot, but they were going about their daily life doing what they do on a daily basis.

(Take a photo of your choice of each of them and talk about the composition and what ever the story it documents.)